General Conference Mini Coloring Book - If I Listen With My Heart

Since I focused on Easter this month and since the Primary is singing in sacrament meeting, I'm having this week's lesson focus more on General Conference.

**PLEASE NOTE: The original mini coloring book that I got the idea from is here.  

Lesson:  Use the mini coloring book to review If I Listen With My Heart.  Emphasize, for those who can't read, that they know all the words in this book.  Talk about how we need to listen with our hearts during General Conference so we can feel the Spirit.  Maybe compare just listening with our ears and listening with our hearts.  With our ears, we can hear.  With our hearts, we can feel. Share experiences and ask for theirs.  Sing a few times with the book so they can "read" it to someone in their family.



All images were found on Coloring Pages at LDS.org. The lyrics to the song were copied and pasted from LDS.org as well.

OPTION: I printed the mini coloring book on one side of the sheet of paper, then copied another General Conference activity on the back for the children to open up and do during Conference.  I did a Bingo card for the Junior Primary and a Note-Taking sheet for Senior Primary.  Both emphasize LISTENing.

Front/Back Junior Primary

Front/Back Senior Primary

How to Make the General Conference Mini Coloring Book - If I Listen With My Heart 

1. Print PDF

2. Print Optional Worksheet and Copy to the back of the PDF

Junior Primary    Senior Primary

3. Fold and Cut

Youtube video or follow my picture instructions below. 

Use a popsicle stick to get a strong crease

There'll be be a slight slit in the worksheet, but totally functional.  Enjoy General Conference!

I bought these pens at Zurchers at 12 for $8

After note:  The lesson went well.  I think will help the needed review for the 2nd and 3rd verse especially.  We gave them a click-pen for Easter to go with their little book and to mark their scriptures. 

Easter Hosanna

I use puppets to teach harmony.  Once they know the notes, then I teach the song in a sacred reverent manner without puppets.

For Easter Sunday, our primary will sing Easter Hosanna in sacrament meeting.  I am having two children sing the two verses as solos since they will soon be moving out of Primary.  The verses could be split up into two parts to allow for more solos or could be done in small groups.  Since its just the chorus being taught, I decided to teach them two-part harmony on the "Hosanna".  It turned out to be really fun and beautiful.

SIDE NOTE: When looking for ideas for singing time, I always turn to The Friend first.  This was advice given to me at a stake primary inservice meeting.  It has never failed me.  I love The Friend and the subject matter is always on theme with the song of the month. 

Easter Hosanna

*This was presented as two lessons by the way.  Harmony just on Hosanna one week, and "Blessed be the name of the Most High God" the next.*

PART I

Introduction: "What are some things you can follow?"  Jesus Christ, our Prophet, the music leader.  Give them clues to finally say chorister or music leader.  Then sing Do As I'm Doing as a warm up song or Follow the Prophet and have them go different speeds and volume as they follow you. 

"Great job following me!  I saw you watching me closely so you could know how I wanted you to sing.  There is something else that has to do with music that you can follow.  Does any one know what that is?  They are on pages of music...NOTES!  That's right!  And our piano player always has a bunch of notes, I need some helpers to go get them from Sis. Porter." *I've been making an extra effort to involve the pianist more in singing time so the children know how valuable she is and we couldn't do without her.  It's made a difference and has been so fun*

Have the children get the notes from the pianist and bring them to you.  I just cut them out on colored paper.  Four of each color for the top and bottom harmony and then placed them on a staff I drew on the board with chalk.  I taped them to paper so the children could look at them for the sacrament meeting singing.  

"These are notes!  Listen to the Pianist play the notes as I point to them.  They are going to tell us the tune to sing."  Point to the Red only.  "Can you ooh along as I point again?"  Have the children ooh 3 times.  Then start over again with the Purple notes.  "Listen to the pianist..."

"There is something else we can follow today, and that is our helpers!"  Pull out two puppets.  *I found these at D.I. or you could make some out of paper, stuffed animals, or borrow some* 

"These guys like to say one word: HOSANNA.  HO-SAN-NA.  When they follow the notes it sounds like this:" Sing Hosanna just with top notes (RED).  "Elmo likes the high notes because they are red like him and he has a high voice. Let's sing Hosanna with him!"  Sing it 3 times.  Repeat with the other puppet for the low notes. "When he follows the purple notes it sounds like ..." Sing it 3 times.  

"Now these helpers like to sing their notes at the same time.  So this side of the room, follow Elmo singing the RED notes and this side of the room follow Larry singing the PURPLE notes. Notice that you both start on the exact same note."  

Sing the harmony over and over, switching the helpers so both sides of the room get to sing both parts.  Make it interesting by saying only boys, girls, now teachers only, close your eyes, turn the lights off, stand up, turn around, etc.  

Bear your testimony about Following the Prophet.

PART II

Introduction: Review the notes and put them back on the board.  Sing "Hosanna" a few times to review. 

"Now we are going to learn a few more words to this song.  Listen as I sing them to you."  Sing "Hosanna, Blessed be the name of the Most High God."  

Sing it a few times with the children.  Switch with the harmony.  Singing just RED, then PURPLE.  When doing both together, it helps to pull out the helpers (puppets) one more time.  

"These are very important words.  One of our Apostles tells us this quoting scriptures."  This is from the March 2016 Friend

Briefly talk about the people said this to Jesus before Easter as he came into the city.

Talk about the Palm Leaves using this picture.

I have some palm leaves here today!  We are going to wave them as we sing this phrase "Hosanna, Blessed be the name of the Most High God."  Now we have to wave them reverently and happily as we sing."  Call up three at a time and sing the phrase over and over. 

Just traced my kids' hands on green poster board (50 cents) and stapled to cardboard

Inspiration from the March 2016 Friend

*The hands that make the Palm leaf can be a guide to learning the words if needed:

Blessed: hands are used to bless people

be the name: our finger prints are special to our name

of the Most High: hold hand up high

God: the ASL sign for God is your hand up by your head*

Handout for them to practice at home.  It says, "I can sing, "HOSANNA! Blessed be the name of the Most High God!"

Bear testimony about Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. 

Other Ideas for this lesson:

Use the Giant Book of Mormon and talk about how the people and angels said the same thing to Jesus when he came to the Americas after Easter. 

Stand for the Right

Stand for the Right

Introduction:  "In the Book of Mormon, there's a prophet called Abinadi.  This song tells his story."

Quick teach: Book of Mormon Stories, Abinadi verse.  I used this picture and it took just 5 minutes to learn and sing through twice.  

Don't forget Abinadi, who stood before the king.

All chained up from head to toe, the gospel he did bring.

If he would deny it, then the king would set him free.

He was true, and he died righteously.

"Even though, he died he is at peace.  He is happy and with Jesus Christ.  It is so important to be TRUE."

"I have a letter for you.  Open envelope.  Ask them who this is?  Yes, Thomas S. Monson, OUR PROPHET today!  He has SOME WORDS FOR YOU."

Sing first line: "Our prophet has some words for you..."

Open the card and show the primary while say/singing: "And these are the words BE TRUE BE TRUE."

Open and close the card two times while saying BE TRUE BE TRUE.

The next part of the song talks about where we need to be true.  I used the Jan.2016 The Friend: Following in the Savior's Footsteps by President Thomas S. Monson for examples on how to be true.

Sing: "At work, or at play"
Do simple case studies for Junior Primary so as to keep singing as much as possible and not to turn singing time into sharing time: "Your work is school.  So what if at school your friend takes the Lord's name in vain, how can you be true?" "What if when you are playing at home on the computer and there's a bad picture/or music, how can you be true?"
For Senior primary you can ask, "How can you be true at work?  At play?"

Sing, "In Darkness or Light" And turn the lights on and off.

Sing,"Be true, be true, and Stand for the Right."  Open and close the BE TRUE card and then have everyone stand up for the last line.

Handout: so they can sing at home and teach their family the song. (I will get a PDF soon!) I just found a picture of our prophet on one side (had to crop it), then the song Stand for the Right , then downloaded a free pop-up font for the words BE TRUE.  They will have to cut in out at home with their parents help. It took 10 minutes to cut mine out so I couldn't do it for everyone in primary, but I highlighted the part to cut in green and to fold in blue. I added a blue strip of cardstock to better see the words. I told them if they bring it back cut out I would give them a blue strip.

Front/Back

Bear Testimony about being true. That even though we aren't standing in front of a King like Abinadi was, we are still in front of our Heavenly King.